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A local company specializing in decorative concrete is stepping up to help build a Cathedral neighbourhood entranceway project using bricks from demolished Connaught School.

The first phase of construction, expected to begin today about noon, will be led by Roy Beuker of Beuma Concrete Specialities. Beuma is providing labour free of charge, with donated supplies from Ardell Steel and Cindercrete Concrete Products. Read the full post »

An ‘old new touch’ is planned for the entryway to one of Regina’s most historic streetscapes. Regina designers Amanda Lang and Christine Bachinsky will transform a corner of 13th Avenue and Albert Street using century-old bricks and limestone salvaged by volunteers from demolished Connaught School.

The results of a public survey on proposed Connaught school design concepts are now available online. Just 2 options were presented, both looking fairly similar. There were 72 responses. Top concerns included wanting a front entrance that reflected the original heritage building, parking lot encroachment on historic 13th Ave. and loss of green space. There was a strong call to maintain the heritage look of the original school, and to ensure the school is built in a timely fashion.

Dress warmly for today’s brick recovery! Please meet at the landfill office gate (travel toward the main gate, you will see the offices on your right) at 10:00 a.m. Bring a hammer and a flat chisel, if you have one. Hard hat supply is limited – if you have a sports helmet of some type, please bring it. The plan is to work until about noon.

Help preserve historic Connaught School’s legacy. Lend a hand to reclaim original brick and hand-carved limestone pieces from the city landfill. City workers have generously offered their time to facilitate access to the brick piles. If you join in, please read the instructions that follow carefully.

Two options are being given for the proposed Connaught replacement design. Both involve a parking lot fronting 13th Avenue, and quite a bit more building sprawl with less green space, as expected. The square footage will be approx. the same as the old building, but a lower and wider footprint. There is no 3rd storey, and the design group is apparently adamant that there will be no basement (not much help in a tornado or plough wind!).Read the full post »

Members of Save Our Connaught, the Cathedral Village Business Association and the Cathedral Area Community Association, with the help of City Councillor Shawn Fraser and Cliff Kobelsky of Frontier Masonry, are working with the City of Regina to reclaim some of bricks and stones from the landfill for use in community projects. If you’d like to volunteer to help out, or have ideas, please contact Trish Elliott.

Before and after shots as of Sunday. Some smaller trees were removed to other schools, but the big elms were chopped up to be discarded.

Demolition of Connaught has begun. The Cathedral Area Community Association and the Cathedral Village Business Association have written letters to the school board about retaining bricks for neighbourhood projects, but so far there has been no progress in obtaining the bricks. There will be a design open house Wed. Oct. 1 at the former Wascana School to discuss the promised replacement.